Tool for removing tubular members



Aug. 3, 1937. A. e. GIFFORD 2,083,785

TOOL FOR REMOVING TUBULAR MEMBERS driginal Filed April 6, 1955 lY/I/l/l/I/lllJ/l/l/l/lll/ ////////l// INVENTOR A ATTORNEY? Patented Aug. 3, 1937 V NITED STATES I "TOOL FOR a MovING 'rUnonlm MEMBERS Arthur G. Gifford, ltoch'es ten NpYt, assignor of one-half to Anthony A. Hasselwander, Rochester, N..Y.

Application A art, 1935; ser al No. 15,054

Renewed December 28; 1936 Claims. (01.. elf- 72),

This invention relates 'to tools forremoving tubular members such as hydrant barrels, well casings etc. and is especially adapted for use in the removal of abrokenfbarrelfromadam- 5 aged hydrant to facilitate aguick and inexpensive repair of the hydrant; v v v It frequently happens thatja hydrant barrel lS severed at or below the street or sidewalk level, in which case the hydrantcannot'be repaired without breaking thepavement orsidewalk and digging a hole, which must' frequently be large enough to render'the shoe or lower end of the hydrant barrel accessible and removable by means of a wrench attached to the outside thereof. The shoe of a hydrant usually at a considerable distance below the pavement orsidewalk line, and accordingly itis a laborious and expensive operation to replace fthebroken barrel section. My invention has for prin- 2 cipalobject the provision of ajtool adapted to grip the broken barreljsection on theinside a short distance from the end which is threaded into the shoe so as topermit theturning ofthe barrel below its fracture. with the grip of the 2 tool at a point where it can most effi'ciently secure the immediate removal thereof. f This and other objects and attendantadvantages will become more readily apparent from the detailed description thereof whichlollows, 0 reference being had to the accompanying drawingin which V R 9'1 f Figure 1 is a vertical sectional viewof a broken hydrant with, my tool insertedthereinto ready for the removal thereof. Figure 2. is an enlarged horizontalsectional view "of'the'tool, the section being taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of the tool taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the tool taken on the line 44 of Figure 1. Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of the tool taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

it is o ften necessary to dig down as far "as the shoe l3.

. is'entirely eliminated with the use of my "tool'which as illustrated in Figure 1 comprises thetubular shank l4,.provide d with the square head l5 at the upper end and a centrally hollow. gripping head [6 at the lower end. A tubular locating and spacing extension I! projects from the head. I6 andforms a continuation of the hollow shank M in order to permit the valve 10 "stem l8 of the hydrant valve I9 to telescope into thetooland have the end of the extension I! "rest on: the spider 20 of the valve sleeve 2|. In. lth sway the gripping head It is automatically spaced so asto be located above, the enlarged 15 j lower end of the barrel H] which is threaded into the fshoe l3. This prevents the gripping. head ir om entering thelenlarged end of the barrel so 'th'atthe'expansion of the gripping jaws cannot lock the head into'the barrel when it is 20 inserted thereinto. V

The gripping head .is provided with an annular channel 22 in'which the gripping jaws "28 and; 29' .which curve. toward each other and 3 'meetatthe outeren'd of the jaws. Each jaw is thus pointed and the serrations or teeth of the gripping faces are cut so as to have them point toward the outer end of the jaw. In this way the jaws may be turned to engage. the inside 40 of the tube or barrel with either one or the other of the gripping faces and turn the tube in which, ever direction the jaws are pointed in the gripping head on the rotation thereof in that direction. 5

The jaws are yieldingly held against the sur- 4 face to be engaged thereby by a pair of springs 3|], 30 which are attached to one corner of each of the square heads of the bolt 24 and extend from this corner in opposite directions, one to an anchoring post 3| on one side of the bolt and the other to an anchoring post 32 on the other side of the bolt. Each jaw is thus normally held in a neutral position in which its pointed end projects radially from the gripping of the valve sleeve as. above described and locates the gripping head just above the enlarged portion of the barrel. The, wrench 33 is then placed over the square head l5 and the tubular shank turned in the direction in which the barrel unscrews itself from the shoe [3. This action slightly turns the jaws and wedges it against the inside wall of the barrel so that the teeth thereof dig into the wall of the barrel and finally turn the barrel. If for any reason it is necessary to rotate the barrel or tube in the opposite direction after it has been partially unscrewed the tool is removed therefrom'and then reinserted with the jaws pointedin the opposite direction so that the jaws are wedged and grip the wall when the tool is rotated in the direction in which the barrel is threaded back into the shoe.

For the purpose of holding the shank of the 'tool centrally in' the broken barrel or tube a guide flange 34 is mounted to slide on thetubu lar shank and carries a'pair of cross members 35 and 36 which are adapted to rest on the upper edgeflo f the broken barrel and hold the flange in place therein. The'guide flange 34 is split andthe' two. halves are held together by the bolts which hold the cross members 35 and 36 in place -thereon.I In this way the guide flange. can be mounted 'to theshank between the large gripping head at one end'andthesquare' wrench head at the' other end. a Iclaimz' 1. A tool forremoving a hydrant. jacket hav- .ing a valve mountedfin the 'b'ottomof it and a vvalve stem extending upwardlytherefrom centrally ofthe' jackeh'said tool comprising a tubular shank adapted to telescope over said valve stem, a'hollow gripping head at the end of said tubular shank and a,pilot sleeve forming an extension of said hollow'shank depending from said gripping'head to'be supported by said valve vso as to havejsaid tubular shank, said head and pilot sleeve surround: substantially the full length of said valvestem and supportsaid gripping head a. predetermined distance above. said valve within said jacket,fa g'uidemember 'on said hollowshank above saidgripping head to engage said jacket at the free end thereof and cause said shank to be held centrally in the jacket above and below said gripping head.

2. A tool for removing long tubular members held threaded in place at one end thereof and having a valve stem centrally thereof, said tool comprising a tubular shank, a gripping head formed on said shank, a plurality of gripping jaws uniformly and circularly spaced concentric with the shank and mounted to eccentrically swing on said gripping head to project therefrom, a locating member depending from said gripping head to centrally support said head from a point below the gripping head at a predetermined distance from the threaded end of the tubular member, and a guide member slidably mounted on said shank above said head so as to engage into the tubular member and hold said shank centrally in the tubular member above the gripping head and means carried by said guide member to hold it in position on the tubular member.

3. A tool for removing tubular members as set forth in claim 2 in which said gripping jaws have oppositely curved gripping faces and means for causing the jaws 'to normally project radial ly outward from the shank so as to engage the inner wall of the tubular member and have the jaws swing in one direction on entering the tubular member by rotating the shank in the opposite direction and then cause the jaws to grip the inner wall of the tubular member when the direction of rotation of the shank is re- 7 versed. Y

'4 A tool for'removing tubular members as,

set forth in claim 2 with spring means for normally holding said gripping jaws in a radially I projected position.

the inner wall of the tubular member to cause the jaws toswing in one direction on entering the hollow member by rotating the shank in the opposite direction and have the jaws grip the inner wall of the tubular member when the direction of rotation of the shank is reversed.

ARTHUR G. GIFFORD. 

